The present invention relates to a new and distinctive cultivar of Begonia plant, botanically known as Begoniaxc3x97hiemalis and hereinafter referred to by the cultivar name xe2x80x98Kennaxe2x80x99.
The new cultivar was selected by the inventor, Jens Norgaard Poulsen, in Denmark. The cultivar was discovered by the inventor as a natural sport of the cultivar xe2x80x98Juttaxe2x80x99 (unpatented).
The new cultivar was first asexually propagated by the inventor in Aarhus, Denmark in spring 1999. Subsequent asexual reproduction of the new cultivar by means of tip cuttings has demonstrated that the combination of characteristics as herein disclosed for xe2x80x98Kennaxe2x80x99 are firmly fixed and retained through successive generations of asexual reproduction.
The following characteristics distinguish the new cultivar from other Begonia cultivars commercially known and used in the floriculture industry:
1. Larger area of red color on outer edge of petals as compared to xe2x80x98Juttaxe2x80x99; and
2. Inner petal has deeper yellow color than the petals of xe2x80x98Juttaxe2x80x99.
xe2x80x98Kennaxe2x80x99 has not been observed under all possible environmental conditions. The phenotype of the new cultivar may vary significantly with variations in environment such as temperature, light intensity, and daylength without any change in genotype. Of the many commercial cultivars known to the present inventor, the most similar in comparison to xe2x80x98Kennaxe2x80x99 is the parental cultivar xe2x80x98Juttaxe2x80x99. In comparison to xe2x80x98Juttaxe2x80x99, xe2x80x98Kennaxe2x80x99 has darker yellow flowers and more red color per petal. xe2x80x98Kennaxe2x80x99 has a larger area of red per petal than xe2x80x98Juttaxe2x80x99 and xe2x80x98Kenna""sxe2x80x99 yellow is a richer yellow with orange tones than xe2x80x98Juttaxe2x80x99.